Monday, May 14, 2012

The Power of God

River ice pushed onto the bank.
 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1Co 1:17-18)

Watching the river break up in Galena is an unbelievable event. Like watching the Northern Lights, or gazing  off into the billions of unobstructed stars, one feels very small on the bank of the Yukon when the ice goes out. You watch as a block of ice the size of a small cabin flips end over end as a sheet of ice the size of a small neighborhood pushes it down the river. Black spruce that has been calved off by the passing ice is stripped of limb and bark and can be snapped like a blade of dry grass in your hand. As you peer over the edge of the bank and feel the ice shake the ground  beneath your feet you cannot help but say, "This is amazing power!" And steadily it flows. The water rises and falls. The ice may dam up, but nothing stops it. Eventually it will break and it will flow. Year after year, season after season, break up after break up.

And so it is with the working of the Gospel in the lives of God's sons and daughters. The river may rip a tree from the ground, but the Gospel calves an addiction from the soul of a man. The ice may jam in the river, but the Gospel changes the course of an abused woman's life. And we dear friends get to be a part in the never ceasing flow of the grace, mercy, and love of Christ through the working of the Gospel in and through our lives. What a privilege! WHAT AMAZING POWER!!!!


As you are guessing from the above picture and videos. The ice broke in Galena on the Friday the 11th at 6:30am. The Lord honored your and our prayers and there was now significant ice jam down river. On Saturday my parents arrived in Galena for my niece's graduation. We are excited to get to be with them until the 1st of June.

For Mother's Day Galena Bible Church had 83 people in attendance!! It was a very bitter/sweet day because it is the last Sunday for our teens as they shall be returning to their homes starting at 6am this coming Saturday. Many will return to villages were there is no Gospel presence whatsoever. Many will be returning to environments that are at best indifferent and at worst hostile to their life of following Christ. Pray for them.



I had the privilege of doing a vow renewal for Martin and Silke Hornfischer during the service on Mother's day. This Thursday will be their 10th anniversary. My sermon was on Song of Solomon 5:16 "This is my beloved and this is my friend". The Hornfischers have become some of our very good friends, and it was such an honor to participate with them in renewing their covenant to each other. So many of our students come from broken homes and broken families. What a testimony of the work of the Gospel! WHAT AMAZING POWER!!!!

Things you can pray for:
  • This week is Graduation: Pray for the young believers who will be making life decisions in the coming months. 
  • GBC is hosting a graduate BBQ for out of town students. Pray that all of the logistics come together, and that and we are able to make great connections with families from other villages. 
  • Pray for all the students as they return home to uncertainty. Pray that the believers here would have opportunity to love and influence them before they leave, as many will not return next school year.